Hello everybody,
I know everybody is going to say that this is a moan, that I am a fann., that I should get a grip, etc..., but there we go....
To people out there considering going down the road of professional Pilot Training,
DON'T DO IT !
Why? It a catch 22 situation !
DON'T DO IT !
Do not do it if:
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You have to borrow a lot of money to pay for your training. If you are rich or mummy and daddy are willing to pay for it, then you are OK.
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You go down the modular route.
CPL/IR/MCC will lead you to nothing.... 250ish hours are worth nothing!
Then you are going to say, "What about doing a FI Rating to get a bit more experience?" To that I will reply " Where do you find the money to pay for the rating, when you are already in debt (£25k at least), and then, how do you pay all the debt back and live decently when you earn peanuts as an instructor?
"What about getting a Type Rating?" You must be kidding, I hope....
"What about doing aerial photo, parachuting, etc.....?" Is this really a job, or more of a part time/weekend activity? There does not seem to be a lot of these going on anyway....
"Why do you want to go to airlines? What about biz aviation/charter?" Once again, 98% of biz aviation companies recruit guys with thousands of hours, so with your fresh fATPL, you're out of the question.
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You do not have good contacts: your dad or your uncle is the chief pilot at xxxx, or your best pal ever is a captain at xxxx. Sending out CV's is a waste of time, it is not what you know, but who you know, regardless of your ability as a pilot.
Fortunately, I have another job which keeps me going. If I had chosen to give up everything to become a pilot, I would be living under a bridge now.
Yes, I know, nobody owes me a job, yeah I know that, but I do not see the point in training so many people when obviously there aren't enough jobs for everybody. On top of that, contrary to loads of other jobs, there is no way you can get experience after you qualify, and live on a decent pay.
Don't tell me I don't want it hard enough, I do more than anybody, and I will always do and keep trying to see an end to the tunnel. However, I am not ready to sacrifice everything I've got for the promise of a job which remains as much a chimera as ever. Not worth it! You can't live on dreams, you have to remain realistic, and the reality is that you have no guarantees.
Dream on....
Regards
